Martha Caddell, Peter Chatterton and Heather Gibson Developing and Supporting a Flexible Curriculum: Opportunities for critical reflection and (re)engagement

Flexible Curriculum: Understanding the Challenge Providing learning opportunities that meet the needs of current and future students. ResponsiveCreativeFlexible Why? In what ways? For whom? … and how?

A Dynamic (and Challenging) HE Landscape Student Diversity (needs, experience, background) New market conditions Technology: determinant / enabler? Pedagogic innovation

Diversity of understanding … and diversity of practice. – Institutional focus is varied. – Subject, programme, module diversity. – Diversity of learner journey increasingly central to institutional work. – Enhancement Themes Case Studies demonstrating this diversity. Key challenges: – Understanding and engaging with changing context. – Strategic challenges and opportunities. – Practical support and guidance to facilitate (creative) engagement. Enhancing Flexibility: Sector Engagement

Exploring the Flexible Continuum: Work to Date Revisiting Flexibility – (Changed) Relevance in the context of – Draw on work of Collis and Moonen (2004) and Casey and Wilson (2005). – Papers produced on context and on online opportunities and challenges. Recognising multiple layers / dimensions of flexibility. – Mutually reinforcing? Or need to prioritise? – Review ‘flexible continuum’ as analytic tool. Identify dimensions of flexibility. Make accessible to multiple stakeholders. – Module level to strategic decision makers. External & internal stakeholders. – Toolkit to reflect, review and plan

Flexible continuum diagram Entry, transition and progression Learning model and personalisation Mobility of learning Learner and employer engagement Dimensions of flexibility Student engagement (design and delivery) inc. content Employability skills / graduate attributes / digital literacy Learning in, through and for the workplace / authentic learning Balance of vocational –v- academic Employers engagement with design and delivery (agile & responsive) Sector/employer body needs and initiatives Alignment with employer goals, initiatives, CPD, projects etc. Alignment with professional, national, sector, international standards Anytime, anywhere learning Mobile technologies (BYOD, low-cost devices) Mobility across institutions (including international) Mobility of qualifications 24-hr Access to resources (e.g. learning materials, ISG, library, WWW) Access to tutors, peers, experts + other stakeholders Widening participation Articulation RPL Shell frameworks Credit accumulation, transfer and mobility (inc. e-accreditation) Mobility of qualifications Pace – e.g. part-time, accelerated Affordability “Content” –v- “process” learning (activities and interaction) Topics Autonomous/social/life-long learner/self- reviewer “Assessment for learning” (more timely formative/less summative/action on feedback) – based on A&F principles Module learning outcomes –v- programme learning outcomes TEL / external systems (e.g. Cloud) Open approaches/OERs/MOOCs Personalisation to different learning styles/media/IT

PLANREVIEWREFLECT Towards a Flexibility ‘Toolkit’ What's driving the need for flexible curricula? Develop benchmarks to achieve for flexible curricula Review programme(s) against the benchmarks for flexible curricula Develop plans for curriculum flexibility Learner & employer engagement Mobility of learning Entry, transition & progression Learning model & personalisation Learner & employer engagement Mobility of learning Entry, transition & progression Learning model & personalisation Develop benchmarks to achieve in respect of institutional responsiveness Review institutional responsiveness against the benchmarks Develop plans for becoming a responsive university Policies & strategies Staff expertise & teamwork Processes & systems Professional support services Policies & strategies Staff expertise & teamwork Processes & systems Professional support services Student expectations & needs? Key Government drivers ? Key institutional drivers & goals? International competition? Employers and employer bodies’ needs and expectations? Change in what we are teaching (including impact of technology)? Improving recruitment and retention? Dimensions of flexibility Dimensions of responsiveness (process, web resource, community of practice)

Flexible continuum diagram Processes and systems Professional support services Staff expertise, teamwork & culture Policies and strategies Dimensions of institutional responsiveness Flexible learning strategies and plans Alignment with other strategies e.g. MIS, IT, estates, WBL, employer engagement Innovation and change management Employer partnership strategy Staff development (including part-time & external staff and employer mentors/assessors etc) Staff recognition and reward Professionals standards frameworks Communications and engagement with FL External marketing and communications QA/QE for flexible learning Staff workloads Agile curriculum design and validation Learner analytics Research, evidence and evaluation Cross-institutional collaboration Partnership working Programme business/commercial case, market research, costing model ICT/MIS infrastructure Open innovation/collaborative developments Organisation, resourcing and support for flexible learning IT support Flexible learning design support Learning materials, online library etc. Pre-induction and induction ISG Student training and support (e.g. IT, library, DL) Resources for partnership development

Indicators of flexibility Summative assessment dominates No action on feedback/feed-forward Focus on the mark Staged formative feedback Timeliness of feedback Frequent low-stakes assessment (to inform teaching) Design based on A&F principles Dialogue/action on feedback/feed-forward/longitudinal A&F aligned with employer needs/authentic assessments Autonomous learners (able to self-review) More fixed More flexible Learning model and personalisation 24-hr Access to resources Institutional library Poor ICT infrastructure (e.g. minimal wi-fi) Employer firewall policies block access to resources (e.g. VLE) Fully online library E-books Robust ICT infrastructure BYOD E-learning resources (multiple formats) E-Information, Support & Guidance 24-hr access to live support Assessment for learning Mobility of learning

Next steps Flexible Curriculum workshop: 20 th June in Edinburgh – From analytic framework to practical tool. Reflect, Review and Plan toolkit developed and tested. – Case studies Exemplars of innovative practice. Examples of challenges encountered and overcome. – Facilitate further development of communities of practice in the field.

Contacts: Martha Caddell, The Open University in Scotland Peter Chatterton, Independent Consultant Heather Gibson, QAA Scotland